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Morten Wierød
Chief Executive Officer.
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Financing Electricity Access in Africa Executive summary
Lack of capital presents a major impediment to universal electricity access Nearly two out of every five people in Africa – around 600 million in total – still live without access to electricity. Electrification has barely kept pace with population growth, leaving the continent far behind the targets set by African governments and the international community. Progress in reducing the absolute number of people without access has stalled in recent years, with the rate of improvement failing to fully recover to pre-pandemic levels. Fewer than 19 million people gained access in both 2023 and 2024, compared with 23 million in 2019…
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Coal 2025 Trade
International coal trade is set to decline in 2025 International coal trade grew by 3% in 2024, reaching a new record of 1 544 Mt. This growth was driven by increases in both thermal coal (up 26 Mt to 1 176 Mt) and met coal (up 21 Mt to 368 Mt). Coal trade accounted for approximately 18% of global coal demand, with thermal coal making up more than three-quarters of total traded volumes. Seaborne trade continued to dominate, representing over 90% of global coal trade in 2024.The Asia Pacific region further strengthened its dominance, accounting for 85% of global coal imports in 2024. China led…
- Executive summary
- Demand
- Supply
- Trade
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+ 2 pages
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Critical Minerals
Critical minerals are essential for a range of today’s energy technologies and for the broader economy. For example, lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese and graphite are crucial to battery performance. Rare earth elements are essential indispensable to the permanent magnets used in wind turbines and electric vehicle motors. Electricity networks need a huge amount of aluminium and copper, the latter of which is the cornerstone of all electricity-related technologies. As demand for these materials grows strongly, their strategic importance has also increased – and policymakers have made ensuring secure and resilient mineral supply chains a major priority. Critical Minerals Security…
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Kevin Lane
Former Senior Programme Manager.
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Global Hydrogen Review 2026 Africa
Hydrogen use in Africa reached 3.1 Mt in 2024, about 3% of the global total. Hydrogen production accounted for about 6% of the region’s gas demand and 2% of regional CO2 emissions. Hydrogen use is concentrated in 6 countries (out of 54), with Egypt representing nearly half, followed by Algeria (20%), Nigeria (17%), South Africa (5%), Libya (5%) and Equatorial Guinea (3%). Ammonia production accounted for nearly three-quarters of hydrogen demand.Today, only 6 kt of low-emissions hydrogen are produced in Africa, exclusively from renewables. The hydrogen project pipeline to 2030 has 31 projects, which could allow increasing…
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Financing Electricity Access in Africa State of play
Understanding electricity access financing As of 2024, around 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa (47% of the population) did not have access to electricity. With electrification barely keeping up with population growth rates, progress remains far off the pace envisaged both by African governments and international organisations. Reaching universal access requires a cost-effective, multi-technology approach, with grid extension, mini-grids and stand-alone systems all playing a role to ensure affordable service provision to unelectrified communities. Notably, financing has been one of the primary impediments to growth.For the first time, the IEA has tracked electricity access financing commitments…
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Universal Access to Clean Cooking in Africa Clean cooking: State of play and recent progress
Nearing a turning point? A lack of clean cooking continues to have profound impacts on public health, women’s equality, economic development, and the environment. Globally, a lack of clean cooking contributes to around 3 million premature deaths each year, with women and children facing the greatest exposure, and accounts for annual emissions equivalent to 1.2 Gt CO2-eq, roughly equivalent to the global CO2 emissions from international aviation and shipping. The challenge is most severe in sub-Saharan Africa, where four out of five households lack clean cooking access today. To spur global action on the issue, the…
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Electricity 2026 Supply
Renewables and nuclear keep growing and setting records Global electricity generation will reach multiple new milestones in our 2026-2030 forecast period. This is particularly the case for low-emissions generation sources – renewables and nuclear – which will continue expanding and setting new records. Renewable energy is now outpacing coal, with nuclear generation simultaneously reaching historic highs. Constrained by growth in low-emissions sources, coal-fired generation globally is forecast to record slight declines, where demand growth through 2030 will be met by renewables, natural gas and nuclear. While trends for individual fuels vary by region, a common theme is the…
- Executive summary
- Demand
- Supply
- Grids
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+ 4 pages
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Multiple Benefits of Energy Efficiency for Business Quality and reputation
Greater efficiency can reduce defects and improve production quality Energy efficiency improvements often involve tighter control and optimisation of production processes. By improving precision and stability in how equipment operates, firms can reduce variability in output and limit the occurrence of defects. These effects are particularly important in manufacturing sectors where small deviations can affect product quality and increase waste.For example, an industrial bakery in Switzerland implemented a highly efficient centralised cooling system with CO₂-refrigerant and advanced controls. The system allowed for a more constant controlled temperature and reduced downtime, improving product quality and consistency, all while reducing…
